Re: Is this pineapple going to be big enough to bloom next y

I ate Clyde, the fruit, after twisting his crown off. His crown is sitting in a jar of water on my kitchen counter.

His mother plant is still in the pot, awaiting her dismemberment

There are 3 suckers growing out of the main plant stem. I need to twist/cut them off and root them.

There are 3 suckers growing out of the ground. One is quite large, and the other two are smaller. I'm thinking I should leave the biggest one intact for a "ratoon crop" and twist/cut off the other two for rooting.

But I also need to transplant the remaining ratoon because the pot is just way too small, so I might take that as an opportunity to examine the root system. I keep reading that pineapples have tiny root systems, and I'm curious to see just how tiny.

Re: Is this pineapple going to be big enough to bloom next y

Re: Is this pineapple going to be big enough to bloom next y

Wed Mar 04, 2015 12:23 am

I moved one of my pineapples to where it gets more sun and water, and It looks like the flower spike may be coming up. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I have had pineapples, but because most of them are growing in the weeds, they have only been pint sized and by the time I find them, long gone.

Re: Is this pineapple going to be big enough to bloom next y

Wed Mar 04, 2015 11:36 am

Everyone's comments are reminding me that I was going to feed mine aggressively this year. It's almost time to start since the days are getting longer and temperature a little warmer -- my avocados and peppers are starting to wake up and unfold their leaf buds (overwintered peppers are tryi to bloom already), so I think I should assume that the pineapples are too.

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Re: Is this pineapple going to be big enough to bloom next y

This is Del Monte Gold. I also have a Dole variety my uncle called Sugarloaf. They are both low acid pineapples. I kinda miss the old varieties, the low acid ones are sweet but bland.

I have had pineapples before but most of them were very small since, I did not feed them and they kind of were growing wild. My uncle told be to give it sul-po-mag. I can't really find that so I am using my usual citrus food. I think having it out in the sun more with regular water and any kind of plant food is better than nothing.

This is actually planted in a six inch pot. Bromeliads like to be watered and fertilized in the cups and the roots are more for support. I water and feed the leaves.

Re: Is this pineapple going to be big enough to bloom next y

Wed May 18, 2016 1:27 am

TheWaterbug wrote:But I also need to transplant the remaining ratoon because the pot is just way too small, so I might take that as an opportunity to examine the root system. I keep reading that pineapples have tiny root systems, and I'm curious to see just how tiny.

Way back in October of 2015 I pulled Clyde's plant out of its undersized pot to look at its root system. It's not as small as advertised! The plant was completely rootbound:

I transplanted it into one of my many 19" clay pots from Home Depot, and it's doing well. In fact the ratoon just started flowering a few weeks ago: